diff --git a/storage/auth/previousNegotiations.go b/storage/auth/previousNegotiations.go
index 6a538f51825098f8602a741ea2617825eab4245a..b8394f553e1137840ed139a1622bc786de225074 100644
--- a/storage/auth/previousNegotiations.go
+++ b/storage/auth/previousNegotiations.go
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@ import (
 	"gitlab.com/elixxir/crypto/e2e/auth"
 	"gitlab.com/xx_network/primitives/id"
 	"gitlab.com/xx_network/primitives/netTime"
+	"strings"
 )
 
 const (
@@ -157,11 +158,14 @@ func (s *Store) savePreviousNegotiations() error {
 	return s.kv.Set(negotiationPartnersKey, negotiationPartnersVersion, obj)
 }
 
-// loadPreviousNegotiations loads the list of previousNegotiations partners from
-// storage.
-func (s *Store) loadPreviousNegotiations() (map[id.ID]struct{}, error) {
+// newOrLoadPreviousNegotiations loads the list of previousNegotiations partners
+// from storage.
+func (s *Store) newOrLoadPreviousNegotiations() (map[id.ID]struct{}, error) {
 	obj, err := s.kv.Get(negotiationPartnersKey, negotiationPartnersVersion)
 	if err != nil {
+		if strings.Contains(err.Error(), "object not found") {
+			return make(map[id.ID]struct{}), nil
+		}
 		return nil, err
 	}
 
diff --git a/storage/auth/previousNegotiations_test.go b/storage/auth/previousNegotiations_test.go
index 94351aac983f8b58439177a927c05bc9df6ee616..8d096fc21d054110d0fd048151a8873d90291b4d 100644
--- a/storage/auth/previousNegotiations_test.go
+++ b/storage/auth/previousNegotiations_test.go
@@ -229,9 +229,9 @@ func TestStore_deletePreviousNegotiationPartner(t *testing.T) {
 		}
 
 		// Check previousNegotiations in storage
-		previousNegotiations, err := s.loadPreviousNegotiations()
+		previousNegotiations, err := s.newOrLoadPreviousNegotiations()
 		if err != nil {
-			t.Errorf("loadPreviousNegotiations returned an error (%d): %+v",
+			t.Errorf("newOrLoadPreviousNegotiations returned an error (%d): %+v",
 				i, err)
 		}
 		_, exists = previousNegotiations[*v.partner]
@@ -260,8 +260,8 @@ func TestStore_deletePreviousNegotiationPartner(t *testing.T) {
 }
 
 // Tests that Store.previousNegotiations can be saved and loaded from storage
-// via Store.savePreviousNegotiations andStore.loadPreviousNegotiations.
-func TestStore_savePreviousNegotiations_loadPreviousNegotiations(t *testing.T) {
+// via Store.savePreviousNegotiations andStore.newOrLoadPreviousNegotiations.
+func TestStore_savePreviousNegotiations_newOrLoadPreviousNegotiations(t *testing.T) {
 	s := &Store{
 		kv:                   versioned.NewKV(make(ekv.Memstore)),
 		previousNegotiations: make(map[id.ID]struct{}),
@@ -280,9 +280,9 @@ func TestStore_savePreviousNegotiations_loadPreviousNegotiations(t *testing.T) {
 				i, err)
 		}
 
-		s.previousNegotiations, err = s.loadPreviousNegotiations()
+		s.previousNegotiations, err = s.newOrLoadPreviousNegotiations()
 		if err != nil {
-			t.Errorf("loadPreviousNegotiations returned an error (%d): %+v",
+			t.Errorf("newOrLoadPreviousNegotiations returned an error (%d): %+v",
 				i, err)
 		}
 
@@ -293,6 +293,26 @@ func TestStore_savePreviousNegotiations_loadPreviousNegotiations(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+// Tests that Store.newOrLoadPreviousNegotiations returns blank negotiations if
+// they do not exist.
+func TestStore_newOrLoadPreviousNegotiations_noNegotiations(t *testing.T) {
+	s := &Store{
+		kv:                   versioned.NewKV(make(ekv.Memstore)),
+		previousNegotiations: make(map[id.ID]struct{}),
+	}
+	expected := make(map[id.ID]struct{})
+
+	blankNegotations, err := s.newOrLoadPreviousNegotiations()
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Errorf("newOrLoadPreviousNegotiations returned an error: %+v", err)
+	}
+
+	if !reflect.DeepEqual(expected, blankNegotations) {
+		t.Errorf("Loaded previousNegotiations does not match expected."+
+			"\nexpected: %v\nreceived: %v", expected, blankNegotations)
+	}
+}
+
 // Tests that a list of partner IDs that is marshalled and unmarshalled via
 // marshalPreviousNegotiations and unmarshalPreviousNegotiations matches the
 // original list
diff --git a/storage/auth/store.go b/storage/auth/store.go
index 83a306d9bbb50f43cf15b4091c8b275feff414d1..069b828dbd663aa7e2fb658612041d70d5888b81 100644
--- a/storage/auth/store.go
+++ b/storage/auth/store.go
@@ -155,7 +155,7 @@ func LoadStore(kv *versioned.KV, grp *cyclic.Group, privKeys []*cyclic.Int) (*St
 	}
 
 	// Load previous negotiations from storage
-	s.previousNegotiations, err = s.loadPreviousNegotiations()
+	s.previousNegotiations, err = s.newOrLoadPreviousNegotiations()
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, errors.Errorf("failed to load list of previouse "+
 			"negotation partner IDs: %+v", err)